Many of you are probably not familiar with the quaint little game known as Quarth, mostly because the home console versions weren't sold outside of Japan (at least this NES/Famicom version wasn't, so please correct me if I'm wrong) and the original arcade version which the Western hemisphere saw was titled Block Hole. Now that we all have access to this title, I must say that I recommend it to all who are willing to expand their gaming horizons and try something somewhat unconventional.
The gameplay of Quarth is a relatively interesting hybrid of the puzzle and shoot-em-up genres. You control a spaceship which flies through a dark, desolate void empty of anything besides a multitude of Tetris-esque blocks which you must shoot at in order to turn them into complete rectangular shapes, earning points based on the size of the shapes you manage to create. The blocks fall gradually faster and more frequent as the game progresses, and failure to keep them away from the dotted line in front of your ship will result in the loss of a life. Losing three lives, as one might expect, ends the game. There are ten levels in this game ranging from 0, which is insultingly easy, to 9, which is absolutely punishing. You are given the ability to select from any one of these levels right from the get-go, so noobs can start from the very first level if they wish and experts/people with a great amount of confidence can challenge the final level straight-away. You also have two ships to choose from, but they both play exactly the game from what I can tell, so you can just go with whichever one you think looks cooler. Heck, that's how I play most other games.
The graphics and sound are both quite standard for an NES/Famicom title, but they both fit the gameplay quite well, and that's what matters in the end. Though you'll only see a few of them per level, the colors are quite nice and don't really strain your eyes. Unfortunately, though, the two ships you have to choose from aren't anything particularly great. The first ship (which appears to be some sort of rocket being propelled by two angels, for whatever that's worth) is just colored grey and white and isn't too appealing to look at. The second ship, though it resembles a generic spaceship that could belong in any other shmup, is far more detailed and consists of blue and white, so you'll probably find yourself playing as that one most of the time simply because it's more aesthetically pleasing. The music that plays during the main game is quite good, though nothing you'll be jamming out to on your MP3 player anytime soon, and you may find it interesting how it shifts in both pitch and speed as the level progresses.
Overall, Quarth is quite a fun game that I believe everyone should give a try, especially fans of puzzle games and/or shmups. Whether you simply wish to relieve boredom or are up for a good old reflex challenge, this game should certainly not disappoint you.
Many of you are probably not familiar with the quaint little game known as Quarth, mostly because the home console versions weren't sold outside of Japan (at least this NES/Famicom version wasn't, so please correct me if I'm wrong) and the original arcade version which the Western hemisphere saw was titled Block Hole. Now that we all have access to this title, I must say that I recommend it to all who are willing to expand their gaming horizons and try something somewhat unconventional.
The gameplay of Quarth is a relatively interesting hybrid of the puzzle and shoot-em-up genres. You control a spaceship which flies through a dark, desolate void empty of anything besides a multitude of Tetris-esque blocks which you must shoot at in order to turn them into complete rectangular shapes, earning points based on the size of the shapes you manage to create. The blocks fall gradually faster and more frequent as the game progresses, and failure to keep them away from the dotted line in front of your ship will result in the loss of a life. Losing three lives, as one might expect, ends the game. There are ten levels in this game ranging from 0, which is insultingly easy, to 9, which is absolutely punishing. You are given the ability to select from any one of these levels right from the get-go, so noobs can start from the very first level if they wish and experts/people with a great amount of confidence can challenge the final level straight-away. You also have two ships to choose from, but they both play exactly the game from what I can tell, so you can just go with whichever one you think looks cooler. Heck, that's how I play most other games.
The graphics and sound are both quite standard for an NES/Famicom title, but they both fit the gameplay quite well, and that's what matters in the end. Though you'll only see a few of them per level, the colors are quite nice and don't really strain your eyes. Unfortunately, though, the two ships you have to choose from aren't anything particularly great. The first ship (which appears to be some sort of rocket being propelled by two angels, for whatever that's worth) is just colored grey and white and isn't too appealing to look at. The second ship, though it resembles a generic spaceship that could belong in any other shmup, is far more detailed and consists of blue and white, so you'll probably find yourself playing as that one most of the time simply because it's more aesthetically pleasing. The music that plays during the main game is quite good, though nothing you'll be jamming out to on your MP3 player anytime soon, and you may find it interesting how it shifts in both pitch and speed as the level progresses.
Overall, Quarth is quite a fun game that I believe everyone should give a try, especially fans of puzzle games and/or shmups. Whether you simply wish to relieve boredom or are up for a good old reflex challenge, this game should certainly not disappoint you.
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